Based on your experience, which ethnic group has been most succesful in assimilating in your community?

Question

Are they your neighbours? Have you become friends with them? It's Friday so I thought it would be nice to put a positive spin to assimilation and immigration to start off the weekend.

Nicole dear, I am British so please don't just assume that I am talking about American immigration. I am talking about immigration in general.

Angela R, let me spell it out for you- assmimilating into the community that you moved into. Is it too much to ask to be part of the community and assume CIVIC DUTY?

My contribution to society, dear Angela R, is that I have been a part of the Doctors without Borders program before settling into family medicine practice.
Assimilation does not mean we are stripping you of your ethnic heritage. All we are asking is for you to take part and try to meet us halfway- by learning our language and respecting our rules. For example, when I was in Botswana and Cape Town, I tried to learn some local customs in order not to offend the people who live there or not to commit too many faux pas. That is not too much to ask, is it?

Answer 1

I think this is a great question! I just attended a naturalization ceremony and it was humbling listening to the 'new' Americans and their appreciation for becoming US Citizens. If I had to name one group it would have to be-----i cant. I think those that don't wish to speak English, which include, Mexican and Chinese are the ones that have the hardest time. If English were made a priority it would make for an easier transition for everyone! Happy Friday!

Answer 2

I am close friends with many Filipinos in the community here. My mother's best friend is a woman who has been a US citizen for about 30 years. One of my coworkers just became a citizen a couple weeks ago. The Filipinos mostly speak excellent English except the ones who have been here for less than about a year. My friends invite me and several other white and Native people to all their parties. (There are hardly any blacks or other Asians here and most of the hispanics work in the fishing industry and don't make it into town much.) I can't say that I've never felt left out but they have made this town their home and they are true members of the community. They have left a few marks on the community as well... no celebration is complete without pancit, even if no Filipinos are present.

Answer 3

Oriental. Of course it's only personal experience. I have met the most polite, humble and most gracious people and ones so honored to become Americans. They have been co-workers and friends and would have loved to be neighbors with them. They have been so gracious when I ask questions like "is it true your people eat cats and dogs" to can you tell me how to write my name in Chinese. They have not been "offended" when I ask curisoity questions that might be stupid or racial ,because they know or assume it's out of wanting a greater understanding of them and not trying to be insulting. They speak their own language with their friends yet will change to English out of respect in public places. I remember my one friend when she got her citizenship and the pride and honor she felt to now be a citizen. She never used welfare, she worked 3 jobs and raised her girls that were honor students and she was thankful to be free. She learned English alone. No DEMANDS for free classes. She insisted ENGLISH only. And STUDIED. I mean STUDIED to learn English and our history. She read books and was probably more knowledgable of our history than I am. It's hard to describe how they made me feel. Citizenship was a gift to them. An honor. To give them that ,made them want to give back 10x's over.....just for the CHANCE! She never EXPECTED free college tuition for her kids even though they were citizens. She even felt it an honor to pay taxes.......ya really.......blew me away too. She wasn't upset when there was road work coz that was her tax dollars at work. She went to school meetings and was glad to have a say and it didn't matter if they agreed, only to have a say. No screaming.....no demanding.....wasn't pushing Chinese as the second language or just rights for "her people". There are wonderful people here from other countries that have alot to offer. Those immigrants are the immigrants of the past and present that make this country great. I don't want amnesty for illegals that ruin that.

This is an after thought. She didn't know for sure she'd get the honor to be a citizen. Everything was legal
and she didn't come here pregnant and illegal. She knew that not being accepted was a possibility. She told her children even though they were citizens, and never made them the anchor or excuse to be here. They were HER children and never made them feel that the BAD GOVERNMENT was against them. They all knew and she was willing to take NO as an answer. No hatred, and if anything....grateful to have been here at all.

Answer 4

Japanese, Chinese and Russian. The Chinese are basically American except the parents have an accent. The Russian Grandma speaks little English but the parents are fluent and the son is American (in all senses of the word). The Japanese guy I am thinking of this year came from Japan, but already spoke English well enough to get by in my son's class (advanced) and tries hard to learn and is almost from meeting to meeting becoming more fluent. The Chinese and Russian kids are friends of my sons' and the Japanese kid is someone one of my sons is getting to know. I've done stuff with all of the families except the Japanese family whom I don't yet know.

I like them.

Answer 5

Asians in general. I've seved with a girl from korea and she was the sweatest person I've ever met. They are very patriotic and very inteligent. While I was in basic we had a Japanise american that had been living in japan all his life. He had american citizenship but had never been taught english or anything. He came to america after his mother died to live with his father and then decided to join the military 2 weeks later. He felt it was his duty. He could only speak a few words of english when we first started basic but by the time we graduated he was very good at speaking, wrighting, and reading english due to all he did when we weren't trainig was learn english. He practiced talking to us and studied out of a book to learn english. Anyone that has only lived in this country for 2 weeks and already feels like it is his duty to serve this country is a person to admire.

Answer 6

In my neighborhood, I would say the Asian people have shown the most progress. They seem to quickly grasp the business side and set up grocery stores, laundries, law offices, medical offices and scatter them all over the city. In school, they are getting top grades. That is quite a feat for children coming here with parents who didn't even speak English. People can assimilate and still keep their own culture.

Answer 7

Polish immigrants have done well recently establishing a life here. Most almost immediately start educating themselves. They also get acclimated quickly. This is not to say other ethnic groups don't. This was the group I found that didnt alienate themseves from the immediate community simply to just "survive" here. They seem to want to be participants in the community around them. My mother has friends who are polish and they worked very hard from the time they arrived here a couple of years ago. There are also people in my school that I notice work very hard. This is what I have to base these facts on.

Answer 8

The Mexicans I guess. The lady that used to babysit for me was a legal Mexican immigrant. I work with a couple that I consider to be friends. We have a lady here in town that makes the best Mexican food that we buy from alot. Our paper boy is Mexican and is very polite. It's the illegals that are moving in that can't speak English that I don't associate with because I can't speak Spanish. I live in a small rural Nebraska community of about 5000.

Answer 9

The Southeast Asians from Cambodia,Laos,Thailand,and Vietnam. I used to be close friends with them when they lived next door. I was even able to learn some of the Laotian language, they are wonderful people.

Answer 10

I LIVE NEAR A ASIAN NEIGHBORHOOD AND A BLACK NEIGHBORHOOD AND A LATINO NEIGHBORHOOD AND A WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD..WE JUST PASSED A ILLEGAL ALIEN LAW WITH NO RESISTANCE AT ALL! A FEW DESCENDED BUT FOR THE MOST PART IT WAS A SMOOTH TRANSACTION..THE LAW IN BLAIR COUNTY PA MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO HIRE ,HARBOR,RENT TO A ILLEGAL ALIEN! THERE ARE SEVERAL COUNTIES IN PA FOLLOWING SUIT! MOST IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE LEGALLY HERE AND WENT THROUGH THE IMMIGRATION PROCESS! THEY ALL ARE AGAINST THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BECAUSE IT MAKES WHAT THEY DID TO BECOME CITIZENS NULL AND VOID! SO I CAN SAY MY FEELINGS ARE BE HERE LEGALLY AND ALL IS FINE!